Produce Application

Velarde Orchards, The Fruit Basket, Rancho de Santa Fe

Owner: Eddie Velarde

Farm Address:
PO Box 4
Velarde, NM 87582
Rio Arriba County
United States

daytime phone: 505 852 2310
evening phone: 505 852 2310
Web site: http://www.ranchodesantafe.net

Application Date: 2008-12-29

Applicant Details

Please briefly tell us why you are applying to be part of the Certified Naturally Grown program:	Organic certification is costly and time consuming. I am in the process of certification, but I want my clients to have an assure of my commitment.
Are you currently third party Certified for your produce operation by any other organization (Organic, Biodynamic, etc)?	no
Have you ever been certified in the past?	no
Have you ever been denied certification?	no
How did you hear about Certified Naturally Grown?	Internet

General Farm Information

Farmland Management and Practices

Primary Tillage System:	None
Do you use Cover Crops?	yes
If yes, please list:	Orchard Grass
Do you use Compost?	no
Do you use Manure?	no
Please list any other brought in fertility sources that you use (specific rock powders, lime, soybean / alfalfa meal, specific purchased pre-mixes, etc)and how often it's used. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the ingredient/s.	None
Have any chemical fertilizers been applied to the fields you are seeking Certification for in the last three years (36 months)?	no
Have any non-acceptable pesticides and/or herbicides been applied to these fields in the last 3 years?	no
Do you use Professional Soil Testing services?	yes
Describe your primary weed problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the ingredient(s), what kind of product it is (a soap, microbial, oil, a botanical...), and how often it's used.	We do not have weed problems. We mow regularly.
Describe your primary insect problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the ingredient/s, what kind of product it is (a soap, microbial, oil, a botanical...), and how often it's used.	We use Intergrated Pest Managment Practices. We use Isomate for mating disruption of the codling moth. We also use Intrust and Dipel as a support for the lure. The lure is used once a year and the organic Intrust twice a year.
Describe your primary disease problems and methods of control. If you indicate a name brand product, please also specify the ingredient/s, what kind of product it is (a soap, microbial, oil, a botanical...), and how often it's used.	None.
Please list the water source you use for crop irrigation. If source is public river, pond or lake, please note the name:	Rio Grande River. We monitor twice a year because we are certified in Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices.
Are there any known contaminants in the irrigation water?	no
Are you a maple producer who seeks to certify your sugarbush?	no

Seeds, Transplants and Buffers

Do you purchase or grow using any Genetically Modified seeds?	no
Do you use any chemically treated seeds in your operation?	no
Do you grow your own transplants?	no
Do you purchase any transplants from outside sources?	no
Chemical/Spray Drift and Buffers:
Is there any likelihood of Chemical/Spray drift contamination of your fields?	no
Do you have an adequate buffer to protect yourself from potential contamination?	yes
Please describe your buffer. Be as specific as possible. On all sides, how far is it from your crops to the next closest use (road, conventional crop, residential yard)? Be sure to specify what is grown on neighboring land that is in agricultural use. For example: To the north and east, a wooded area of at least 100 yards separates us from the neighbor's corn fields, to the south is a fallow field at least 100 yards deep separating us from the road, and to the west about 60 feet separates our crops from a field where conventional corn and soybeans are grown.	Shrubs and trees separate our fields we have a 40 foot buffer zone end of the tree row to fence row.

Agreements

Please indicate your agreement with the following statements by checking the boxes.
I will not label, or in any way lead consumers to believe that produce not raised in accord with CNG standards is Certified Naturally Grown^TM.
I understand that I have to complete at least one (and hopefully more) Certification Inspection(s) of another farm in my area each year, and that the inspection will NOT be of the same farmer that inspected me.
I have reviewed the Certified Naturally Grown certification standards, I understand them, and I will abide by them. I understand that if I have any questions I may contact CNG for clarification.
You may use this space to tell us anything else you think we should know about your farm:	We have been fruit farmers for the last 400 years. We are 14th generational farmers. We have been certifed for the past two years in Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices by the USDA. We are a certified minority company through the Minority Council. I have won several awards, but the most outstanding is from John Deere and the Jaycees for Outstanding Farmer, I was one in four.